Back to Reality
by SopophorousBean
Summary: Alice Smith is a muggle-born. How will she cope when she has to go home for the holidays, and leave Hogwarts and the magical world behind? Original charatcer story.
1. Chapter 1

**Back To Reality**

**Chapter One - Loudmouths and Letters**

The Christmas holidays were fast approaching and the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were preparing to return home. The morning of the last day of term had arrived, bringing with it a fresh layer of snow which covered the grounds in a sea of brilliant white. The sloping lawns sparkled in the rising sunlight and the untouched snow made a blanket that stretched to the edge of the forest and covered the treetops beyond.

The school seemed to be buzzing with excitement about the approaching festivities and never had this been more noticeable than at breakfast that morning. The Great Hall was filled with the voices of friends chatting and calling to each other across the room, laughing and discussing their plans for the upcoming holidays. At the Hufflepuff table the pupils sat talking happily below the enchanted ceiling, which was now the same vivid blue as the sky beyond the windows, lit by the brightest winter sun. The twelve Christmas trees that stood around the hall lit up the room with their glittering decorations.

At the end nearest the teachers' table at the top of the hall sat a girl with the deepest brown hair that reached down her back, all the way to her waist and seemed to shimmer along with the many lights around the room. Alice Smith was a first year but even sitting down her tall figure towered above those of her classmates. She reached gracefully across the table, tucking her long hair safely behind her ear as she leaned over to grab a slice of toast.

She was waiting to be joined at the table by her closest friend Kate, and looked up towards the doorway of the hall to see where her friend had got too. At that moment, she spotted her amongst the trickle of students entering the room, making their way to breakfast. Kate bustled quickly down the length of the table and sat down opposite Alice, tying her hair in to a pony tail as she did so.

"That Peeves, I'll get him one day," Kate muttered. The two girls had bumped in to the school poltergeist on emerging from the staircase that led up from the basement, only to find he was armed with water balloons ready to aim at unsuspecting first years. Alice had managed to dash aside just in time whereas Kate had taken a full on blow to the head leaving her drenched though, forcing her to return to the dormitory to change in to fresh robes.

"I won't laugh," promised Alice, forcing herself not to laugh albeit with great difficulty.

"You dare," warned Kate, although Alice was relieved to see she was smiling.

"Pass me the pumpkin juice," said Alice, aiming to move off the subject of Peeves to save her friend any further embarrassment, and motioning towards the jug that lay to the left of Kate. She obliged and passed it over, taking care not to spill any over the array of bacon and eggs that lay on the table in front of them.

"Here you go," she said, "although I still don't know how you can stand this stuff, it's vile" and she gave the jug a look of disgust as though it contained something that had recently died.

"I can't get enough, I'm going to miss this over Christmas," sighed Alice. She had grown used to these small comforts of the wizarding world and she was reminded of her fears about returning home.

Alice and Kate were two girls who on the face of it seemed to be complete opposites. Alice was tall with dark hair and equally deep brown eyes whereas Kate was petite, with extremely pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes that matched the sky above them. In personality, too, they were different. Alice had always been quiet and shy and struggled to speak up for herself. Kate on the other hand was loud and bursting with confidence. But the two girls had one thing in common; they were both muggle-born.

They had met for the first time on the platform of Hogsmeade station. Kate, being considerably smaller than the average Hogwarts student, had become lost amongst the sea of people exiting the train and Alice had grabbed her arm to rescue her from the bustling crowd. The combination of Alice's height and Kate's loud voice and confidence when it came to shouting at older students to get out of the way had allowed them to rejoin their fellow first years, and the two of them hadn't separated from that moment on. They had shared a boat across the lake, stood arm in arm during the sorting ceremony and were eventually both sorted in to Hufflepuff, taking their seats next to each other at the very table they were sitting at now.

"Come on, where's the post got to?" moaned Kate, pushing away her half eaten breakfast and looking up anxiously at the high windows at the top of the Great Hall.

"Oh of course, you're expecting your parents reply!" exclaimed Alice, suddenly realising what it was her friend was so eager to receive. The girls had decided to try and meet up over the holidays and were waiting to hear if Kate's parents would allow Alice to stay over for a few days after Christmas. Alice had received the ok from her parents a few days before and they had already started discussing their plans.

Alice joined in the nervous wait as the girls sat in silence, glancing up every few seconds to try and catch sight of the first owls emerging from the sky beyond the windows. She had pinned all her hopes on the meet up happening, for she was apprehensive about her return to the muggle world and the thought of knowing she would be able to see her best friend and fellow witch over the holidays had been reassuring her immensely.

"Where are you Mason?" sighed Kate, prompting an outbreak of s******ing from behind her. Alice looked up as Kate whipped her head round to investigate the noise. Alice took in the familiar sight of the gang of first year Slytherins who had paused on their way to their own table and she groaned. They were a regular source of trouble to the two girls.

"Who's Mason, your boyfriend?" mocked one of them, a girl called Lydia who had mousy brown hair and an extremely wonky nose. There was an outbreak of giggling from the group surrounding her and a smug expression appeared on her face; she was apparently very pleased with her joke.

"Try my owl," replied Kate confidently, with a satisfied smile adding "idiot" under her breath as she turned away. Alice laughed as Kate gave her a wink. But the smiles had faded from the faces of the group of Slytherins.

"Watch who you're calling idiot," snarled the boy to the right of Lydia, a dark haired boy named Stephen who took a step forwards and glared at Kate.

"Hmm, you have a point," she quipped, turning back round to face him and narrowing her eyes, "I would have been better off aiming that comment at you, clearly,"

Alice was impressed but fearful at the same time. Much as she admired Kate's confidence in situations like this, Alice herself would never dare say something like that to somebody who seemed so intimidating. Kate, however, was completely undeterred and continued to try and stare him down.

"Try it why don't you, mudblood," he breathed viciously. The Slytherin gang behind him were all smiling, the girls smirking horribly at Alice and Kate.

"Right that's it, go, now!" ordered Alice, finding her voice at once, the anger rising up inside of her uncontrollably as she stood up, waving the group away.

"Don't waste your energy, they're not worth it," said Kate calmly, who was acting completely unfazed by the situation and she turned once again to face the table and helped herself to a cup of tea. Grudgingly, Alice returned to her seat.

"Yeah well, I'm not going to let them speak to you like that again," replied Alice, who was clenching her fists at her side in an effort to contain the emotion that filled her up. The students around them had clearly noticed the drama that had unfolded and a sixth year girl a short way down the Hufflepuff table spoke up.

"Hey, are those lot bothering you?" she asked, eyeing the Slytherin group suspiciously as they made their way towards the other side of the Great Hall.

"Oh nothing we can't handle," Alice smiled at her.

"They're just jealous," chipped in Kate, and she raised her voice so she could be heard from the other side of the hall to add "can't handle the embarrassment of being out-flown by a muggle-born girl!" she called, referring to Alice's natural flying ability and Stephen's lack of it. During their flying lessons that term he had shown all the grace of a flobberworm and had been unable to stay on the broom long enough to move more than an inch through the air before falling off. Alice and the sixth year girl laughed.

"Well it seems like you girls have it under control," she grinned, looking impressed, "but you know where I am if they bother you again."

"Thanks," said Alice gratefully. Although she knew she was fine as long as she was around Kate, she still felt instantly reassured by this added offer of protection.

Any remaining tension was broken as suddenly there was a great rush of noise and the sound of flapping wings and hooting filled the vast hall. The owls had arrived with the morning post.

"Oh yes!" squealed Alice, clapping her hands together with excitement.

"Finally," groaned Kate, who sounded relieved at the sight of the owls.

The two girls scanned the mass of swirling birds for the small figure of Mason, the barn owl. All around them owls were landing in front of their intended recipients and holding out their legs to deliver letters and Christmas cards, or else dropping parcels to those waiting below. Nerves were now taking over Alice, what if Kate's parents said no? Could she really spend weeks completely isolated from the world she had come to love so much? Her stomach churned at the thought. At last the tiny brown owl appeared at the back of the pack of birds and descended towards the Hufflepuff table. With a dull thud he dropped on to the wooden surface in front of them and Kate reached towards him, untying the rolls of paper fixed to his leg.

"There's more than one letter here," said Kate, sounding slightly puzzled and Alice watched her as she unrolled the letters.

"Who's the other one from?" asked Alice as Kate scanned each of the pieces of paper she was now holding.

"My friend Lara, my parents must have forwarded it on... Oh, they said yes!" she cried suddenly, obviously reaching the most crucial part of her parents letter and she began to read aloud.

"Of course your friend can stay darling, and she's more than welcome to invite her parents round for a cup of tea,"

"Typical, she'd invite the whole country round for tea if she could"

Alice laughed and the knot in her stomach relaxed at once. Things were looking up and a wide smile spread across her face as she thought about the holidays ahead.

"I'm sure they'd love to come, it'll be good for them to meet people in the same situation," Alice said enthusiastically. She knew her parents were still wary about their daughter being out in world they knew so little about. It had been tough on them having their only child move away from home and having to adjust to having a witch in the family.

Kate had now moved on to the letter from her friend which was written on paper that was a garish shade of pink.

"Lara and the girls want to meet up in the holidays," Kate said rather half heartedly. "Want to come along for moral support?" she added and she looked up at Alice pleadingly.

"Sure," Alice replied immediately, although she regretted not investigating why her moral support was needed before she answered, "What are they like?"

"Oh they're lovely," Kate added quickly but she still looked troubled. "It's just that this is the first I've heard from any of my old school friends since I started here,"

Alice thought this over for a few moments, suddenly realising that she herself hadn't heard anything at all from her old school friends since leaving for Hogwarts. She felt the knot in her stomach return and hastened to push the thought to the back of her mind.

"Come on let's go, we'll be late for first period" she said glancing at her watch, and she downed the last of her pumpkin juice. Kate emptied her mug of tea and both the girls stood up and made to leave the Great Hall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Fights and Fears**

The two girls made their way towards the Entrance hall and waited as the throng of people attempting to leave the Great Hall thinned enough to let them through. Alice craned her neck to try and see how big the crowd blocking the doorway was when suddenly, out of nowhere, she felt somebody shove her and she fell helplessly to the floor. There was a tremendous thud as she felt herself hit the ground and pain shot through her whole body, the worst of it in the arm she had landed on, spreading quickly to her shoulder. As she struggled to understand what had just happened she heard the voices of the onlookers and one voice in particular stood out above the rest.

"Hey!" came the cry of Kate's voice over the bustling crowd and the murmurs of those watching the scene turned quickly to whispers, the sudden drop in noise level drawing even more attention to the spot where the mass of people stood.

Alice raised her head slowly, still feeling slightly dazed, and looked around. She winced slightly as she tried to prop herself up with the arm she had fallen on, eventually managed to raise herself in to a sitting position. She was unsurprised to see the same girl who had been mocking Kate earlier amongst the crowd now surrounding Alice. The girl was standing face to face with Kate; they appeared to be having some sort of staring contest.

"If you touch her again..." whispered Kate, who from the look on her face was forcing herself not to say something she'd regret, with so many witnesses to the scene.

"I don't know what you mean," answered the girl, mock surprise on her face, "I didn't touch her, did I?" and she turned to her fellow gang of first years to support her, and right on cue they began shaking their heads.

"Now now, what's going on here?" came the fierce voice of Professor McGonagall, which soon silenced the group of people in the immediate area, "Move along!"

The crowd slowly began to disperse, the odd person stopping to look and point at Alice who was still sat on the floor where she had fallen. Lost amongst the sound of footsteps, she could just make out Kate pleading her innocence to Professor McGonagall along with the nasty tones of Lydia who was sounding outraged at the lecture she was now receiving.

Suddenly Alice felt somebody take her by her good arm, and without noticing who it was she let them pull her on to her feet. She regained her balance and turned to see who had helped her up, intending to utter words of thanks but as she looked to see who it was she noticed it was a Slytherin boy. He was not part of the group she had seen earlier, he looked taller than her classmates and had a striking look about him with dark blonde hair and contrasting brown eyes. She would have guessed he was a second year. As she took in his appearance she realised he was still holding her arm, and fearing another attack she wrenched it free of his grip, gazing at the boy curiously.

"I just wanted to help you up," he said, in a softer voice than she was expecting, and he held up his hands as if surrendering. Looking at her, he lowered them slowly and spoke again. "We're not all like them you know,"

"Yeah yeah, likely story," came Kate's voice as she rejoined Alice, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. "We don't need your help,"

At these words the boy bowed his head and turned to walk away, leaving the doorway of the Great Hall and heading in the direction of the marble staircase. At this sight, Alice felt a surge of guilt as she realised she never had thanked him. Slytherin or not, he had genuinely seemed like he wanted to help, whatever Kate thought.

"Now Miss Smith, apparently you took a fall, will you be needing the hospital wing?" asked Professor McGonagall, who was peering at her through her square spectacles.

"No Professor, I'm fine, I better get going or I'll be late for first lesson," she said, rubbing her arm, the pain finally subsiding.

"Off you go then, you two," said McGonagall, who was distracted at that instant by another scuffle happening back in the hall, and so the two girls hurried off towards their first class of the day.

Their first lesson of that day was Charms, and as they made their way up the marble staircase they both discussed their relief that they had an hour break from any more Slytherin drama; they had this lesson with the Ravenclaws. As they reached the Charms classroom the saw a line of pupils lined up outside the door. They joined the end of it and waited, Alice glancing around for any sign of Professor Flitwick. As the bell rang to signal the start of the lesson, the Charms teacher came bobbing along the corridor holding a large box in his hands. As he struggled to negotiate his way towards the room, hampered by the fact he couldn't see over the box, Alice peered curiously round her classmates to try and see its contents. It appeared to contain a vast amount of Christmas decorations.

Slowly the class filed in to the room, Alice and Kate taking their seats in the middle row of desks.

"Settle down everybody!" squeaked Flitwick from the front of the classroom. The noise level in the room dipped as people turned their attention from the conversations they were having with friends to the front of the room where Flitwick was now perched on a pile of books on the desk chair, facing out towards the class. He started by taking the register and then climbed down and started to hand out decorations from the box to each table.

"Now as it's the last lesson before Christmas I thought we ought to do something fun, something festive!" he called as he made his way around the room. He passed the desk where Alice and Kate were sitting and placed two baubles in front of them. "So I'd like you to decorate the classroom by levitating these decorations and hanging them around the room, to give you a bit of practice with Wingardium Leviosa. So remember everybody, swish and flick! Off you go!"

The lesson turned out to be quite fun, which was a welcome relief to Alice after the start to the day she'd had, and the events of earlier soon vanished from her mind. The more decorations that were successfully hung around the room, the higher everyone in the class's spirits seemed to lift. The only notable incident in the whole lesson happened after Alice had made her way to the front of the room to replace a smashed bauble. One of the boys in the class had thought it would be funny to levitate a sprig of mistletoe over Alice, making it hover between her and every boy she passed. Luckily her sense of humour had returned and by the time she noticed she was able to laugh off the incident without too much embarrassment. Although she did take the opportunity to let her wand slip "accidentally" causing a bauble she had been levitating to drop on to the same boys head about ten minutes later, much to her and Kate's amusement.

The whole class left Charms in a light hearted mood and the rest of the day seemed to pass quickly and uneventfully after that, although none of their other lessons were as much fun. They had even been set homework for the holidays in Transfiguration, on top of the Potions essay they had received the previous day

By the time Alice returned to the Hufflepuff common room after dinner that evening she was utterly exhausted. She collapsed in to one of the comfy chairs in the corner of the basement room, Kate taking the chair opposite her looking equally as tired.

"I can't believe we go home tomorrow!" said Kate, "Are you excited?"

"Of course, get to see Mum and Dad" replied Alice, "and sleep in my own bed," which was top of her list of things she wanted in her current state of tiredness. She was truly looking forward to the comforts of home she had missed, but she wasn't without apprehension. "I'm going to miss this place though, and just being in the wizarding world in general, it feels like I belong here now,"

"I know," agreed Kate, nodding, "I mean tomorrow we'll be back in the world of still photos, TV sets and supermarkets!"

Alice laughed.

"Anyway, we better get on with some of this homework," Alice sighed and she started to root around in her back for her wand, books and a quill and parchment.

They were joined by their fellow first year roommates and together the group of girls wiled away the next few hours hastily trying to get through the mountain of work. They started with the Transfiguration as they had been told to practice turning their matchsticks in to needles, something they wouldn't be able to do over the holidays when they weren't allowed to use magic. This didn't take too long and so they started the Potions essay, which in contrast seemed near impossible. When her brain had run out of steam, Alice decided to call it a day and make do with what she had managed to write down.

"I can finish this off in the holidays, I need sleep," conceded Kate, as she stretched and started returning various books to her bag. There was a murmur of agreement from the other girls and they all gathered up their belongings and started to head in the direction of the dormitories.

"Are you coming Al?" called one of them, a fair haired girl called Kay.

"I think I might stay here for a bit, finish some of this work, you know," said Alice, "I'll be up in a bit," and she smiled and bade goodnight to the others as they left the room. As soon as they were out of sight, however, she too packed up her books and curled up in her chair. The common room was nearly empty, the only other occupants a group of seventh years who were busy working away in the opposite corner. They were quiet enough not to disturb Alice, who in truth had only stayed up for a bit of alone time. She needed to think, and escaping the others for a while was the best way to do that.

As the day had worn on the anxiety about returning home had been steadily increasing, creeping up on her as she was unable to rid herself of those lingering thoughts. She remembered how excited she had been when she arrived at Hogwarts, a place where she had been accepted for the first time in her life. After all, she was always the shy, awkward one and fitting in was something she struggled with, so to feel so at home had been a huge relief to her. Of course there were those people who weren't as accommodating, she thought of the group who had been bothering her and Kate earlier, but she knew deep down that she was welcome here, she had friends and she belonged.

She had thought she had had friends at her old school too, but try as she might she couldn't escape the thoughts about those friends that had been burrowing away in her head all day. They hadn't been in touch, in three whole months. Was it out of sight, out of mind? Or were they never truly her friends in the first place?

Her family at least would be waiting for her to come home, and they would be pleased to see her. Her heart ached in her chest at the thought of them, she wanted to see her parents desperately for they were the only close family she had. She was an only child, with only one remaining grandparent who lived in France and who she rarely saw. She hoped beyond anything that the closeness between her and her parents wouldn't be damaged by the time she had spent away.

And she would be returning to the muggle world once again. She had been living in a bubble and for the past few months all she had known was Hogwarts and its grounds. It was peaceful here.

Her train of thought was interrupted as she felt something brush by her legs, and she looked down and smiled.

"Hey Ivy," Alice whispered to the fluffy grey cat now winding its way between her ankles and purring happily as she snuggled down against Alice's feet. She reached down to stroke her beloved pet, as at that moment the seventh year students got up and headed towards the dormitories.

"Are you ok out here on your own?" asked one of the girls, looking at Alice with a caring expression on her face, as she paused on her way to bed.

"I'm ok, thank you," Alice answered, "I'll be going to bed in a minute," and she smiled, as the girl smiled back. She was reminded of the kindness of her fellow Hufflepuffs that she had experienced over the months, another thing she was going to miss.

"Ok, night then," replied the girl, and she gave Alice a little wave and left the room. Ivy jumped on to Alice's lap, still purring and Alice tickled her neck.

"We'll be ok won't we?" she muttered to the cat, although more speaking these words out loud to herself for reassurance. She scooped up the cat in to her arms and stood up, glancing around the room fondly and headed in the direction of the cosy room where her bed lay, hoping for a good night's sleep before the journey next morning, the journey home.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three - Packing and Parents**_

It had been three o'clock before Alice had finally drifted into an uneasy sleep. She was woken that morning by the sound of people moving around her, bed covers rustling and the clattering of trunks. As she fought her way through the haze of sleep and came to, she realised they were the sounds of her friends preparing their belongings. It must still be early but nevertheless she had slept in; she was running late.

"Guys, why didn't you wake me?" Alice groaned at the moving figures around her, rubbing her eyes furiously. She parted her eyelids slowly and the light coming from the lamps that surrounded the walls stung and burned her eyes. Added to that, panic had started to rise in her as she glanced around and realised the amount she needed to pack.

"I heard you come in late last night and figured you could do with the sleep," called Kate, her voice slightly muffled as she rooted around under her bed, apparently looking for something. "Anyway, I thought you'd be packed already, you're always so organised!"

"Yeah well, I never got round to it," Alice replied, albeit quietly. It was true that she liked order and usually had everything planned well in advance, but so far she had been unable to face the prospect of leaving Hogwarts and was yet to pack as much so much as a sock.

Alice swung her legs over the side of her bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress, began slapping her hands to her cheeks in a bid to give her system the shock it needed to wake up. Her eyes felt heavy and every limb ached but she had a long day ahead, and she could always sleep on the train. She grabbed a hair bobble from the bedside table and tied her hair at the base of her neck, securely out the way. Lowering herself on to her hands and knees, she started gathering up her things, first reaching under her bed to locate the battered old sports bag she would be taking with her. She was only going home for a few weeks, she wouldn't need her suitcase.

As Alice started to pack, she became glad she had left it until the last minute, as it meant she would be kept busy right up until the moment she had to leave.

She rifled through her school bag, first packing the books she would need to finish off any homework over the holidays and cast her school bag and its remaining contents aside once she was done. Next she rounded up her muggle clothing, every single item she had brought with her, laying out an outfit for her to wear that day and piling the rest of the clothes in to her sports bag. She stood up and gathered up her toiletries and her outfit for that day and headed off to wash and change.

When she returned, Kate was still searching for something under her bed, her suitcase open in the middle of the room with its contents jumbled in the bottom. The rest of the girls were sat around Kay's bed, trunks shut, hats and scarves on and ready to go.

Alice gathered up the remaining bits and bobs she needed, fingering the frames which contained photos of her and her parents sitting on her bedside table, before leaving them be; after all she would have the real thing in a few hours, and when she returned these photos would be here to welcome her. She zipped up her bag and crossed the room to try and persuade Ivy to leave her basket where she was curled up, purring happily. Eventually she got her in and closed the door, placing it and her bag alongside the row of trunks that stood at the end of Kay's bed and joined her friends.

"You all ready?" piped up Kay when she saw Alice approaching, and she patted the space on the bed next to her where Alice dutifully took a seat.

"Think so!" she replied, smiling weakly and glancing around the room. Kay looked at her, a frown appearing above her eyes.

"Are you ok? Come on, you can tell me," and she smiled reassuringly, wrapping an arm around Alice.

There was a thud followed by swearing as Kate reappeared from under her bed, cracking her head on the underside as she surfaced. The other girls laughed but Kay continued to look at Alice, oblivious to the scene. Alice took the opportunity whilst the others were distracted to offload, knowing nobody else would here.

"I'm just nervous to be honest, going back to everything after having only just discovered this place, it's going to be different," She wasn't sure she'd made sense but to her surprise Kay nodded.

"It must be weird," Kay said, "being thrown in to this whole new world where you're forced to adjust, and then having to go back to your normal life, that's a lot of change," Alice breathed a sigh of relief, somebody understood. Already she could feel the weight lifting from her chest; she could suddenly breathe a little easier. When Alice didn't reply Kay spoke again, adding, "but whether you're in the wizarding world or the muggle world, Christmas is still Christmas!"

Alice laughed, she had almost forgotten.

It took Kate another twenty minutes to finish packing. It turned out she had been looking for her flip flops, much to everyone's great amusement. Other items she had returned to her suitcase included a summer hat and three pairs of denim shorts, Alice in hysterics that anybody would pack such things a) for school and b) considering the climate; there was still thick snow on the ground. Kate had sulked the whole way through, defending herself with the line "It never hurts to prepared!"

The girls hurriedly ate their breakfast together in the Great Hall, only just making it to the carriages in time before they left for Hogsmeade station. It was Alice and the others' first time in the carriages, and there was something slightly unnerving about the way they moved on their own, lurching every now and again, pulling themselves. Alice couldn't help imagining a giant magnet drawing them ever closer to the station, but she figured the magic behind it must be far more impressive than that.

When they reached the station they were greeted by the sight of a glorious scarlet steam engine dominating the scene. Alice had forgotten how impressive it was. She glanced around at the students who were loading their trunks on to the train and then glanced at her battered sports bag. She had seen trunks on sale in Diagon Alley on her first trip there but her parents assured her that her suitcase would be perfectly adequate for taking her stuff to school. There were a few suitcases or muggle bags being loaded on to the train by their owners, it separated the muggle-borns from the others. Not all of them though, some had gotten trunks in an effort to fit in and it was days like this that Alice wished she'd pushed her parents harder to buy her one.

The girls found themselves a compartment in the middle of the train that was deserted and began to settle themselves in for the long journey. Alice let Ivy out of her basket and let her sit on her lap, where she eyed the owls, including Mason, still locked away in their cages with great interest.

Alice turned to look out of the window, which was covered in a thin layer of condensation as the body heat from the five of them in the carriage hit the ice cold class. She used her sleeve to wipe away a small circle on the glass and pressed her face up against the window. The crowd still on the platform was growing thinner and thinner as those students returning home made their way on to the train and the sound of doors being slammed shut echoed up and down the platform. As Alice drank in the view from outside, steam from the train's engine began to curl itself through the air along the length of the train, playing on the wind. Alice watched it and let her imagination get carried away, watching the steam forming the shapes of animals, trees, they formed hands waving in goodbye and even the shapes of arms embracing, like parents welcoming their children home. There was a shudder as the train roared in to life and Alice looked up at Hogwarts castle, eyeing it greedily so as not to forget every detail.

Kate was sitting next to Alice, and as the train lurched forwards, Kate grabbed her arm to steady themselves and stop them slipping from their seat, before linking it around Alice', pulling her mind back to the reality of where she was, leaving the view of the glorious surroundings behind her and focussing her eyes back to the confined space she was currently occupying.

"We'll be back," Kate whispered to her, squeezing her arm tightly as if she could read perfectly well the look in Alice's eyes as she has torn her eyes away from the castle. Alice smiled at her, and again, it wasn't a mask, she felt herself genuinely feeling happy because she was on her way home.

"So, what's everybody doing for Christmas then?" asked Kay enthusiastically to the carriage at large. One thing Alice had always liked about Kay was her enthusiasm, which it seemed applied to just about anything. She was used to spending most of her time with Kate who, whilst having a decent sense of humour, seemed to stick to sarcasm and was very rarely enthusiastic unless it was about the approach of the end of the school day or the chance to get back at Peeves.

Mary and Layla, their fellow first year roommates, were each spending the holidays with their respective Grandparents, something which neither of them seemed too excited about. Alice knew what Kate would be doing of course, but listened to her explain her plans to the others, of how she would be spending the day with her parents and her aunty who was recently divorced, known to overdo it on the wine and thought it appropriate to bring out the karaoke machine at every holiday possible. This lead to a fifteen minute conversation where Alice and Kate attempted to explain the prospect of Karaoke to their friends which produced a lot of bemused looks and laughter. But it was Kay's Christmas sounded like the most eventful of the lot.

"Well, with all my brothers, sisters and all the cousins added up there'll be 16 underage witches and wizards in my house on Christmas day" Kay explained, "which as you can imagine is a nightmare, accidental magic flying everywhere, last year one of my little cousins brought the Christmas tree and its decorations to life, there were tinsel snakes in the house for weeks before my dad finally tracked them all down, and we never did find the angel,"

The four girls laughed even more at this story, even Kay joining in as she wondered aloud what could possibly happen this year. The mood for the next few hours was jovial, and once they had all eaten their fair share of food from the trolly they fell back, exhausted in their seats. It wasn't until Alice was woken for the second time that day by the crashing and thumping of trunks and suitcases being moved that she realised she had drifted off.

She rushed to put Ivy back in her basket and gather up her things, before making her way down the train carriage's corridor and exiting the train on to the long, grey stretch of platform 9 and ¾.

"We're nearly home!" cried Alice, suddenly overcome with excitement, the butterflies in her stomach coming to life again once more.

"I'm exhausted," groaned Kate from next to her, who was struggling to lug her extremely heavy suitcase down the platform in the direction of the barrier.

"We better say our goodbyes!" called Kay from the front of the group of the five of them as they joined the queue to leave the platform. A plump man was giving the go ahead for small groups to be allowed to pass through the barrier, the line of people inching forward slowly.

The girls hugged each other, kissed each other on the cheek, squeezed hands and returned for second hugs. Kay waved as she rejoined her brothers and sisters who were waiting for her further down the line of people, before disappearing through the barrier.  
>Mary and Layla went through together as a pair, leaving Alice and Kate next to go through. They leant against the cool metal as the man guarding the barrier gave them the nod. They fell through nothingness and were soon on the other side, as the noise of London travellers pressed upon Alice's ears; the noise of the muggle world.<p>

Her eyes scanned the crowd, desperately seeking the two familiar faces she so wished to see.

"Katherine! Katherine!" a woman was crying from somewhere nearby. It wasn't until she heard a groan from next to her that she realised the woman was calling Kate. Alice looked next to her, smiling to see Kate rolling her eyes in embarrassment. Alice couldn't help but laugh. As they got nearer the source of the cry she saw a petite blonde woman waving wildly. She was almost the double of Kate, short with bright, pale hair only she wore a little more make up than her daughter. Next to her, also waving was a man considerably taller than the woman he stood next to, balding and with a round belly that stuck out in front of him. He was smiling, no beaming and Alice recognised him from the photos next to Kate's bed as her father. She thought her parents made a very odd couple in real life but they were radiating the same kind of happiness. As Kate's mum ran forward to embrace her daughter she realised that stood slightly behind her and her husband was a tall woman, with long brown hair and pale skin that glowed bright. She spotted Alice and a small smile broke out across her face and Alice ran forward and hugged her mother, dropping her suitcase at her feet.

"Mum!" she cried, not worrying about the trickle of Hogwarts students passing her, not feeling one drop of embarrassment.

"Hey Allycat," her mother whispered in her ear as she stroked her daughter's hair. But as Alice pulled away and looked at her face, she noticed the expression on her face was one of unease. Puzzled she turned, expecting to see another person next to her, behind her, only there was nobody else there. She looked around her mother, towards the circle of shops, she looked in the direction of the toilets on the platform and the end of the concourse but still she couldn't spot the missing person.

"Mum," Alice spoke, the unease spreading from her mother's face to her own voice, "where's dad?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four - Truths and Tears**_

"A car addicent?"

"Yes, but like I said he's _ok_,"

Alice was sitting across from her mother in a cafe just off one of the platforms of King's Cross station. She stared down at the remaining dregs of her hot chocolate, which formed a dark brown gloop at the bottom of the paper cup currently grasped between her hands. In truth it had tasted awful but she was cold. Or at least that was the reason she had started to shiver, she could not be sure it was that which caused the current tremor in her hands.

She had made her way to the cafe with her mother after their reunion, confused at the absence of her father and her rage increasing as her mother refused to answer questions. She had insisted on sitting Alice down first and buying her a drink, possible out of pity or as some weak attempt at an apology for keeping information from her or maybe even as a bribe to keep her quiet, so as not to cause a scene.

Alice had listened as her mother explained what had happened a few weeks ago. Her father had been driving home from work late one night, when his car was hit by a van. Apparently the van driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and swerved in to the path of Alice's dad's car. He had been hospitalised for while but he had suffered no long term damage to his brain. The only injuries causing him problems were a badly broken leg and a broken wrist on the side where he had been hit. In other words, he'd had a lucky escape.

As Alice took all this in she felt sick. Her stomach churned she felt the heat rising in her chest and throat. She thought she would have to excuse herself and find a bathroom but she had held it together, knowing that she needed to hear the full story, and more importantly get the answers to the questions that had been burning on her lips since her mother had first revealed what happened. Now satisfied in the knowledge that her father was alive and safe, she wasted no time in voicing the words she had been swallowing throughout the conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The voice was barely a whisper, and she wondered whether her mother had even heard her at all. But the look on her face showed she had; the tears started to fall and she reached out to clasp her daughter's hands, still retaining the warmth from the hot chocolate cup.

"Your dad and I agreed it was for the best, we didn't want to worry you." She had looked away, unable to make eye contact with Alice, who was secretly hoping she felt as guilty as was humanly possible. She continued, "You were at a new school, we figured you'd have enough trouble settling in without us dragging you home, not to mention disrupting your education,"

"My education?" Alice cried. This had tipped her over the edge and everything she had been holding in came bubbling to the surface, bursting free from her lips, the words being fired at her mother like bullets. "You don't think the fact my dad could have died is slightly more important than my education?"

"Sweetheart," her mum said, tightening her grasp on Alice's hands, "I knew he'd be ok," but even as she said this, a flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, not unnoticed by Alice. She continued. "If I thought different I would have found a way of contacting you in a heartbeat,"

"But you still didn't tell me anything! I didn't even know he'd been hurt! You don't think I deserve to know things like that?"

"You'd have wanted to come home, we didn't want your time at school disrupted, and if we'd just refused to come and collect you the you would have worried yourself to death just thinking about it." She sighed, "we didn't want to worry you baby,"

Alice snatched her hands away. All this time she had been worried about what she was missing out on whilst she was away from home, she had pictured her parents taking trips without her, filling their spare time with activities Alice would find boring and living a carefree life now that their main responsibility was being taken care of elsewhere. That she was prepared for, but not this. She had not been there to comfort her dad when he most needed her, it was her job to worry about her parents; she loved them. They had no right to deny her that.

"You wrote to me, signed the letters from both of you and said absolutely nothing," Alice said through gritted teeth.

"I know," her mother replied. She didn't seem to want to elaborate on her reasoning.

"You haven't even apologised." The words came out of Alice's mouth with all the hurt and anger she could muster. Did her mother honestly think she was in the right?

"We were protecting you Ally, that's all,"

Alice let out a high pitched laughter, causing the fellow occupants of the cafe to stare at her, but she didn't care. She stared hard at her mother, the woman who hours before she had been so desperate to see. She closed her eyes tight and let all the breath seep out of her.

"Is he ok? Have you left him on his own tonight?" Alice's words were barely audible due to the lump in her throat. Guilt swept over her as she thought of her father sat there, hurting alone.

"He's fine, and no he's not on his own, Mrs Langford is with him," her mother replied, reassuringly. This comforted Alice, but she was still not planning on forgiving her mum in a hurry.

She stood up, gathering up her belongings. Ivy was still securely in her basket, which Alice now cradled close to her chest with one arm whilst she swung her sports bag over the other shoulder. She wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, it was late and she had had enough of the lies for one night.

"When's the train?" she asked her mother, the harshness returning to her voice. She didn't want to speak to her at all but the fact was she had no idea what the plan was. They had no car since it had been written off in the accident so it was the only way of making their way back to their home.

"Half-past, we should probably get going," her mother replied, grabbing the opportunity to a change of subject, clearly hoping to regain some sense of politeness and normality with her daughter, if only temporarily.

The two of them made their way to the main body of the station, where an open area was surrounded by a circle of shops and a small crowd mulled around beneath the large information board displaying train times and platform numbers. There were ten minutes until their train departed from platform two. The two of them walked side by side, not speaking until they reached the train and found themselves two empty seats at the end of the carriage. They were on either sides of the aisle which suited Alice as she wouldn't have to sit directly next to her mum for the next hour or so.

Alice was thinking about ringing Kate as soon as she reached home, but then remembered it was late, and that Kate would probably want to go bed straight away. The disappointment prickled over her. They had only been able to make a hasty goodbye earlier that evening. Kate's parents had noticed that something was wrong and ushered Kate away making polite goodbyes to both Alice and her mother. Kate had called as she was walking away that she would speak to her soon and shouted reminders that Alice that she had her number and that she could call if she needed anything.

As they settled in to their seats, Alice's mum reached in to one of the carrier bags she was carrying and removed a handful of magazines.

"Here, these are for you," she said gently, passing them to Alice.

Grudgingly Alice took them, glancing at the covers as she did so. There were five different magazines in total. The first was a music themed magazine and the rest a selection of teenage and gossip magazines. She would not normally have read anything like this but as she glanced at the various headlines displayed on the glossy pages she found herself becoming unable to tear her eyes away. There were some celebrities she recognised, some she didn't but she soon realised that she didn't have a clue as to what any of the news stories were about. Reflecting on it, there was so much related to the muggle world she would need to catch up on. She didn't watch the news usually, but just being denied that access to what had happened in the world for the past few months made her crave every bit of information she could lay her hands on. She couldn't catch up on everything, but she was determined to try.

As the train started to buzz and vibrate beneath her, gliding smoothly out of the station, she opened the first magazine and let her brain take in every word, every image greedily knowing that for the next few hours she wouldn't be bored and she wouldn't be thinking about the argument or the lies.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five - House and Home**_

The taxi journey home from the station had been conducted in much the same awkward silence as the train journey that preceded it, only the confined space made it seem an awful lot worse. Add to that the fact that the taxi driver had taken an instant dislike to the idea of having Ivy in the car, and had taken a lot of persuading to even take them at all, and the atmosphere in the cab was downright miserable.

The journey back from the station wasn't far, but whilst further north the weather had been snowy, here it was merely throwing it down with rain. The drops streaked against the window, battering the roof of the car with the force of bullets. Fatigue was starting to overwhelm Alice now, she had been travelling all day and her limbs felt stiff and heavy, as if somebody had dumped a ten tonne weight on her body which was pinning her to the battered seat of the taxi.

Alice's home was situated ten minutes from the city centre, down by the river. It towered over a footpath which ran the length of the river below them, separated by a ten foot wall with black, imposing railings running across it. There was no road in front of the house, instead a path that ran in front of the wall and parallel with the footpath below, only higher up, provided access to the houses. There were seven houses in the terraced row which were accessed by the path, each with a small front garden which set the houses back slightly and three or four steps leading up to the front door. The nearest road to the houses stopped at the top of a fleet of stone steps which lead to the little row of houses, and carried on further down beyond them to the river front. The taxi dropped them off at the end of the road, and whilst Alice's mother paid the fare, Alice herself set off down the steps, towards the place she called home.

Alice had left her mum to retrieve her sports bag from the boot of the car but she had taken responsibility for carrying Ivy in her basket. The cat had been fed and watered on the journey, but since exiting the Hogwarts Express she had been confined to her cage, and Alice could tell she was becoming irritable.

"Nearly there," she whispered through the grill of the basket. She refrained from putting her fingers through the bars to comfort the cat for fear of losing them.

The steps levelled out halfway down where a wall to the left of Alice stood, in the centre a tall wooden gate which provided the entrance to the row of houses. As she pushed open the gate Alice looked up, and she got her first view of her house. It looked exactly as she remembered it. She pushed open the tall gate and walked down over the bumpy surface of the path along the front of the row of houses. Coming closer and closer to the third house down, she realised she was holding her breath, the air catching in her chest. She came to a halt in front of the garden gate, the small gravel path running beyond it up to the red painted front door.

The only things that had changed were the plants, their leaves shed for the winter and the flowers no longer in bloom. But otherwise everything was exactly as she had left it. The house was being lit from the lights below that lined the river path, and from the windows of the seven houses which glowed brightly to either side of her. She eyed the ivy running up the front of the house, curling itself around the drainpipes and winding its way towards the roof. The ivy which so reminded her of her home, so much so that she had named her cat after the familiar plant.

"You can go in you know,"

The voice startled her. Alice wasn't sure how long she had been standing where she was or how long her mother had been directly behind her, but she hadn't heard the footsteps signalling her mother's approach. She turned her head to see a warm, welcoming smile cross her mother's face, and despite herself, she couldn't help but smile back.

Alice reached out her arm until her hand came to rest on the small metal gate still separating her from the house. It creaked as she pushed it open, the sound springing to her ears. Her mum was constantly nagging her dad to oil that gate. The surface was wet with raindrops, but it was only now that she became aware that it was no longer raining; the air was silent except for the gentle rushing sound of the river below.

Her footsteps caused the gravel of the small footpath to crunch beneath her feet. She saw the assortment of shoes on the front door steps and smiled. Her dad's walking boots were exactly where he always left them. Then she remembered, with a lurch to the stomach, that he probably wouldn't be using them for a while.

The door was locked, and so she waited patiently as her mother reached around in her handbag for the key. She could hear movement and voices inside the house and her heart began to race, with joy and excitement and equal doses of nervousness and trepidation.

"I saw my keys a second ago, where are they?" Alice's mother sighed as she rooted around in her handbag, eventually setting it down on the front steps to use both her hands.

Before she could find them, however, there came a noise from the other side of the door, and silhouetted against the frosted glass in the centre of the door was the figure of a small woman. There was a clinking sound of a lock being turned and a chain drawn back, and the door opened inwards.

"Alice!" came the cry of Mrs Langford, their elderly next door neighbour who Alice had always had a great fondness for.

"Mrs L!" Alice beamed, as Mrs Langford spread her arms wide and pulled her in to a warm embrace. Alice could smell baking, the scent she always associated with her neighbour who had taken to teaching Alice all her recipes and bringing round baked goods at every occasion possible. Alice had to suppress a small laugh as Mrs Langford spoke just seconds later.

"There's a cherry and sultana cake in the kitchen just for you my dear,"

"Thank you Mrs L, you shouldn't have," Alice replied gratefully.

"It was no trouble, I've missed baking for you, you're my favourite customer missy! Lost without you I was. Now we can't have you standing on your own doorstep all night, you'll catch your death, come in come in! Hello again Sandra," she added, giving Alice's mum a small hug as the two of them crossed the threshold in to the long, familiar hallway. The house smelled as it always did, of tea and fabric softener and all the comforts of home.

Alice turned back towards the two women standing in front of the now closed front door and looked at them with a question in her stare.

"He's in the front room, dear," Mrs Langford smiled at her, reading Alice's silent plea for an answer.

"Is that them Mrs L? Are they back? Alice?" The voice of Alice's father echoed through from the living room, familiar, deep, yet friendly and comforting.

Alice set down the cat basket and undid the cage door, allowing Ivy to streak out towards the kitchen. Then she moved the three or four steps until she was parallel with the living room door to her left, where she caught the first glance of her dad, laid out on the sofa under a blanket, his plastered leg peeping out from beneath it. He held his arms wide open, one arm in a cast from the base of his hand to just below his elbow. But the grin on his face was what stole Alice's attention, and it was infectious. She ran towards him, giving him the biggest hug of the entire day. 


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six - Props and Preparations**_

"So this is the Seeker, and this is the Golden Snitch, ok?"

Alice and her dad were seated at the kitchen table, having just enjoyed their first roast dinner since Alice returned. It was a few days in to the holidays, and Alice was settling back in to family life so quickly it felt as if she'd never been away. Of course there was still so much catching up to with her parents; so far she had heard stories from her mum about her book club, gardening society and the new psychology course she was taking at night school. Her dad's stories were more limited, due to him having been laid up with a broken leg and wrist for the past few weeks, and she had no desire to hear any of the details of the car crash that had caused his injuries in the first place, which was the only exciting thing he could have told her.

Alice waved the wooden spoon she was holding in one hand in her dad's direction as she spoke, followed by the tangerine she was holding in the other, the two props she had hastily grabbed along with the dozen other items of cutlery that now sat on the table in front of them. She had decided to try and explain the rules of Quidditch to her dad, but after five minutes of talking him through the game, she had changed course and attempted to go with a more visual method of describing the wizard sport.

"Right, the spoon is the Seeker and the tangerine is the Golden Snitch, I've got you," he replied, trying his best to keep his face serious but struggling to hide the hint of a smile at the ridiculous display in front of him. Placing the wooden spoon and the tangerine back on the surface of the kitchen table, Alice started pointing at the array of teaspoons lined up on the makeshift Quiddicth pitch.

"The teaspoons represent the Chasers, it's their job to score goals, like strikers in football," she said confidently, it being such a rarity for her to know anything her dad didn't, let alone sport related. Her dad nodded his understanding. "And the cherry tomato," Alice reached to pick it up from the centre of the table, "is representing the ball called the Quaffle, basically like a football, this is the ball you score with,"

"The what?" her dad asked mockingly, raising his eyebrows and heightening the frown lines on his forehead, his hairline having crept backwards significantly since Alice had been gone.

"Quaffle, look I didn't name it!" Alice replied half laughing, "and the Chasers have to get it in to one of the three hoops at the end," and she dropped the tomato in to one of the three wine glasses that were acting as hoops.

"Sounds pretty easy to me," grinned her dad. Alice rolled her eyes.  
>"But you've got the Beaters and Keepers yet!" replied Alice, half-frustrated, half-joking, as she pointed out the knives and forks that were taking the positions of the players. "And the Bludgers," she added, pointing at two grapes.<p>

Whilst Alice continued her animated demonstration, her mum stood leaning with her back to the kitchen sink having just finished the washing up, clearly finding the whole scene rather amusing. She wiped her hands on the small apron she was wearing before untying it and coming to join them at the table. Before she took her seat, she readjusted the cushion on the chair that was propping up Mr Smith's broken leg. He was sat at a ninety degree angle to the table with his leg out in front of him, whilst Alice took the head of the table. Her mum sat down opposite her and watched as her daughter waved several pieces of cutlery through the air.

"Careful kitten, you'll have someone's eye out!" she laughed.

"You should see real Bludgers," Alice answered knowingly, "and _please_ don't call me kitten mum, I'm not six!"

"It does look like a dangerous sport darling," said her dad, jumping on Alice's comment, "are you thinking of joining the school team?"

"We play in House teams, so I'd have to try out for Hufflepuff," Alice answered seriously. "And I want to try out but I'm too young, you have to wait until your second year,"

"Too right they don't let youngsters play from the sounds of it," replied her dad, sounding genuinely concerned now, "but I'd be so proud if you made the team, just don't come home like this," and he gestured to the cast on his leg. Both Alice and her mum laughed, but were interrupted by the phone ringing in the hallway.

"I'll get it," Mrs Smith sighed, rising from her chair and crossing the kitchen to the hall.  
>"So you score ten points for a goal, and one hundred and fifty for catching the snitch," Alice added, her father still eyeing the array of items on the table eagerly.<p>

"Is there a referee in this Quidditch thing then?" he asked, clearly grasping hold of the football comparison.

"Yes, our flying teacher Madam Hooch acts as referee,"

"What about linesmen? How do you know if anybody's offside? " he added, narrowing his eyes as he concentrated on a group of teaspoons.

"Dad," Alice sighed, "there's no offside rule!" At this, her dad looked genuinely outraged. Alice couldn't help but laugh. She made a mental note to ask someone at school if you could take muggles with you to professional Quidditch games, she'd obviously never attended one herself but it was now high up on her list of things to do when she was old enough to discover more of the wizarding world, and she liked the idea of going with her dad.

Alice started to collect up the cutlery to return it to the drawer when she was interrupted by her mum calling her.

"Alice, it's for you!"

Her heart jumped, she hadn't heard from Kate in the few days since she's returned home and she knew at once that was who was calling. Dropping the cutlery she had been holding, she walked quickly, almost breaking in to a run straight towards the small table next to the front door where her mum was standing with the phone receiver in her hand. Alice grabbed it from her mum's grip, hastily adding a "sorry!" and "thank you" as her mum frowned in disapproval and returned to the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Alice! Thank goodness, I've been meaning to ring you since I got back after we saw something was wrong at King's Cross but you should have heard my mum, "don't bother her Katherine, don't be nosy Katherine, she'll call you when she's ready Katherine" crikey she's annoying, how are you anyway? Is everything ok?" Kate was speaking at break neck speed and Alice couldn't help but laugh, she's missed her.

"I'm fine honestly, my dad's limbs not so much but I'm ok," and so she broke in to the story of what had happened, how her mum had told her all about the car accident, Kate being completely sympathetic with Alice's frustrations at not having been told, contributing noises of shock and outrage, as well as sharp intakes of breath at all the appropriate moments as Alice explained what she knew of her dad's accident. "So," she finished, several minutes later, "what's new with you?"

As it turned out Kate's aunty had arrived a week early for Christmas and decided to bring her new boyfriend Mario with her. She went on describing how embarrassing they were being, adding vomiting side effects at every mention of public displays of affection Kate had been subjected to.

"Seriously, they're driving me mad. Even mum's getting sick of them and she's usually pretty tolerant," she sighed. "Anyway, you'll see when you're here if mum hasn't kicked them out, when are you coming over? We need a plan!"

"Well, there's the slight problem of me being able to get to you what with our car sitting at the bottom of a scrapheap," Alice admitted, she had been fearing telling Kate this and ruining all their plans, but her spirits lifted at once when Kate consulted her step-dad at the other end of the phone and found out he was happy to drive nad collect Alice. This meant Kate would get to come over for a few hours before they set off, so there was even more to look forward to. They set their plans for Boxing Day and with the prospect of putting up the tree and decorations the next day, Christmas just around the corner and now plans with Kate, Alice's heart lifted as she prepared herself for the coming days of excitement.

After she had said her goodbyes to Kate, she walked back to the kitchen where her mum was eating what was left of her Golden Snitch and her dad was stretching in his chair and letting out an almighty yawn. It was only seven o'clock, but that was bang on time for her dad to be falling asleep in front of the TV, and so the three of them moved to the living room where they remained for the evening, until eventually Alice drifted off on the sofa, dreaming of fending off giant grapes with a ladel. 


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven - Decoration and Distraction**_

_**Crash!**_

Alice awoke with her start, the noise shaking her from what had been very deep sleep. Glancing around she realised she was in her bed. She had no recollection of how she had gotten there; the last thing she could remember was drifting off in front of the TV. The alarm clock on her desk showed both hands pointing at the number twelve and so, bleary eyed, she rose from her bed and started towards the door to investigate the source of the noise. When she opened it, Alice was faced with the sight of her mother kneeling down on the landing carpet, an open box of Christmas decorations spilled across the floor. Next to her stood the rickety ladder that lead in to the loft, and looking up Alice could see the hatch wide open in the ceiling.

"Well don't just stand there, give me a hand will you?" asked Alice's mum, tucking her hair behind her ears and reaching around, gathering up the assortment of baubles. Alice obliged and joined her in collecting them up.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, "I could have helped." Alice said, her voice still croaky and tinged with sleep, having putting two and two together and deduced that her mum had been forced to go up in to the attic for the first time in her life to collect the decorations, a job usually left to the only man of the house.

"I wanted to let you sleep, I think you needed it." Alice didn't argue; she had been exhausted. A bright gold bauble caught her eye as she went to return it to the box and she stared at it. It was home-made, covered in glitter with letter "A" painted in bold, red paint. "You made that when you seven," smiled her mother, with a nostalgic glow now in her eye.

"I remember," grinned Alice back, "Grandma said it looked like a dog had thrown it up and insisted on hiding it at the back of the tree, I cried for three days," They both laughed.  
>"And that," her mother went on, "is why we don't invite her for Christmas anymore!"<p>

This was only half true, Alice's grandmother lived in France, and enjoyed the lifestyle so much that her trips back to the UK to visit had become less and less frequent, something neither of Alice's parents seemed too bothered about. A phone call at each birthday and holiday seemed enough to satisfy everyone. Her absence also negated the need for any awkward conversations about where Alice went during term time.

"Come on," Alice sighed under the weight of the newly re-filled box, as her mum attempted to return the ladder to the ceiling, "let's go down and get started,"

If there was any time Alice missed using magic since her return from Hogwarts, now was that time. With her dad laid up and forced to observe from the sofa, all the tasks assigned to him were being performed three times as slowly than usual. Mrs Langford had managed to get her son to collect and drop off the Christmas tree in his van, and he had helped Alice and her mum bring it through the back gate and across the garden, but it was left to the two of them to complete the journey through the house.

"Why didn't we just get an artificial tree," groaned Alice's mum on the threshhold in to the living room, as another scattering of needles fell to the floor.

"Just be glad you're not at Hogwarts," replied Alice, forcing the tree through the tight doorway, "we have twelve Christmas trees, but then we do have Hagrid to carry them, I wonder if he does home deliveries,"

Two hours later the tree had been erected in the corner of the room, albeit leaning to one side and with a few squished branches. Baubles and tinsel twinkled in the afternoon sunlight, the fairly lights adding the much needed colour and cheer. The three members of the Smith family sat staring at the tree, sipping freshly made hot chocolate and with the familiar muggle Christmas tunes blaring out of the radio.

"Well, I suppose it looks OK," said Alice's dad, tilting his head to one side presumably to make the Christmas tree appear level.

"Just OK?"? cried Alice, clutching her hand to her chest in mock outrage, "it's a work of art!" All three of them laughed, Alice setting down her empty mug on the coffee table. Her mum rose from the sofa, picking up the mug on her way towards the door.

"Rob, I might nip next door and ask Mrs Langford round for a cup of tea, what do you think?"

"Good idea," replied Alice's dad, repositioning his leg slightly.

"Great. Oh shoot, we need more milk! Alice, you couldn't run down to the shop and get some could you?"

"Of course!" Alice replied instantly, jumping up from her seat and possibly looking a bit too keen. The fact was, she had been stuck indoors since she had returned home and it had been starting to bring on a definite sense of claustrophobia. Hogwarts with its vast corridors and large, spacious rooms had felt big and open, the only cosy space she was used to there being the common room and her dormitory. Her house felt like that of a doll's in comparison, and the need to find open space had been bothering her.

A bitter frost had arrived that week, covering the ground in a glittering layer of white. The sun shone brightly in a clear sky, and the temperature had dropped by several degrees which had Alice craving the warmth of the Hufflepuff common room fire. Alice layered up her clothing adding gloves and a scarf, even getting half way down the path and returning for a hat before setting out on her way. In all honesty, when she first stepped out of the house, her plan was to go straight to the corner shop and back, but even the bitter cold of the fresh air felt too good to waste.

Instead of turning right and heading up to the street, she turned left and the end of the pathway and headed down to the riverside. As she walked, the ground crunched beneath her, her steps leaving light footprints in the frost. Tightening her scarf around her neck as she walked, Alice glanced at the river itself, where large chunks of water had frozen and a pair of confused looking ducks made tentative steps across its surface. Her eyes fell upon the opposite bank, which backed on to the city park. Alice stopped in her tracks and looked over, the evergreens giving her a glimpse of the greenery she was missing. The nearest bridge was only two minutes' walk away; crossing the river and visiting the park wouldn't take her too much longer.

It was this very park she had learnt to ride a bike, her dad gripping hold of the back wheel until the very last minute, standing by to watch her fly across the green field. The memory sprang back to her as she crossed the cold, hard grass in the direction of the swings on the far side. Despite the weather, a few parents and their children were gathered around the climbing frame as Alice took a seat on the swing. The metal creaked as she swung herself backwards.

When Alice had first arrived at Hogwarts, it was the sign of the vast sloping lawns and the lake that had made her feel so at home. She had grown up by the river, and loved having nature on her doorstep. As she glanced around the park, took in the rows of evergreens bordering the place, she swung higher and higher, her hands going numb from their grip on the metal chains mixed with the cold. It was only when the voice stopped her in her tracks that she slammed her feet down and skidded to a halt.

"Alice, is that you?"


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight - Worries and White Lies.**_

She had to shield her eyes from the blinding sun to make out who had spoken, and standing before her Alice saw a girl with bright red hair, plaited to the waist. Panic rushed through her; she knew her but what was her name?

"It's Ashleigh, from primary school," the girl said, as guilt at not recognising her fled through Alice's body, causing her to blush slightly.

"Of course, Ashleigh! How are you?" she said, genuinely pleased to see her. They hadn't spoken much at primary school but she had always been kind enough from what Alice could remember. The girl took a seat in the next swing across.

"I'm good!" she grinned back, "Long time no see. I heard you got in to some private school."

Alice's heart was racing now; this was the first time she had had to actually back up the story that had been passed around after she had gotten her Hogwarts letter. The story that she had gained a scholarship to a top boarding school was not completely unbelievable, she'd done fairly well in primary school, finishing with high marks in her SATs but she still felt somewhat of a fraud. She swallowed hard.

"Yeah," was all she could muster.

"I'm not surprised, you always seemed really bright," Ashleigh replied, and Alice was relieved to see she was still smiling. "You had a lucky escape from  
>Elm High anyway!" and she laughed.<p>

"That bad, huh?" Alice smiled.

"Oh the teachers are all right you know," replied Ashleigh, "but the students not so much," Alice wasn't sure whether this was a topic of conversation Ashleigh particularly wanted to continue, so gave a sympathetic nod. "You were friends with Caitlin right?"

"I was," Alice answered, Caitlin being one of those people who had yet to reply to her letter since Alice had moved away. "We don't speak anymore," she added.

"Probably for the best, she's… changed,"

"How so?" asked Alice, curiously. Caitlin had always been the timid sort.  
>"Well, she got in with a bad crowd I suppose, so did a lot of the primary school girls," Ashleigh looked away, staring into the distance with something resembling sadness in her eyes. Alice felt a rush of sympathy for her, and was quite glad to have escaped and ended up at a school that made her happy, not miserable.<p>

As the two of them sat there Alice thought about how different her life could have been. It had only been a few months ago that she'd found out about Hogwarts, beforehand she had always presumed she'd end up at Elm High, living the life Ashleigh was now living. Here sat a girl who could have been Alice in another life, it was a scary thought.

"What's your school like then?" asked Ashleigh in a far more cheery tone, and Alice racked her brain for things she could actually say.

"Oh it's good!" she grinned, "lovely people you know. We have houses, the house I'm in is really friendly, everyone's lovely."

"What are the subjects like?" asked Ashleigh.

More panic.

"Errm, well we do history. The teacher's a bit dull though," and she smiled,  
>thinking of Professor Binns. Ashleigh laughed.<p>

"Do you study French? We do it, it was that or German but I chose French."

"Oh, I do German," lied Alice, going with the theory that Ashleigh wouldn't be able to test her. The guilt of the lie crept up the back of her throat, and she felt hotter all of a sudden, despite the freezing conditions. This was the start, she thought, the start of the lies. If she were to keep in touch with the muggle world at all then she would have to lie her way out of many a situation like this.

Alice couldn't help thinking about the life she was missing out on, going to a muggle school and learning languages instead of potions. If she could have her life as it was before she was a witch, would she go back? No, not now she'd seen Hogwarts. Not now she'd been in the castle, found out what she was capable of, used her wand, felt that sense of belonging as she walked through the ancient corridors. Her future was in the magical world. She would never leave the muggle world behind, after all her parents will always be in this world, but she was happy with the life she had.

"Are you ok?" came Ashleigh's voice, as Alice's mind slipped back into the present.

"Fine, listen, do you want to keep in touch? You know, after I go back to school," Alice asked, shyly. To her delight, Ashleigh's face lit up.

"I'd love to! Does your school have an address I can write to?" she asked, still beaming at Alice's questions.

Another small flutter of panic.

"I'm not sure, but you can write to my parents and they can forward it on if you like?" Alice said, impressing herself with the haste at which she had come up with this answer.

"Ok, sure!"

And so the two girls swapped addresses, scribbling on the back of a couple of bus tickets Ashleigh had found in her bag. The two of them parted with a hug, and promised to write soon. Alice couldn't help feel relieved at finding someone in this place that still wanted to talk to her. All the fears she'd had of being left out lifted from her shoulders. She could belong in the muggle world and wizarding world after all. She left the park positively skipping.

Remembering to divert her path towards the corner shop and pick up the milk she had initially left home to buy, she returned home five minutes later to find her parents anxiously waiting for her.

"Where were you? You've been gone ages!" her mother shouted, the second Alice stepped over the threshold into the house.

"Oh, I just bumped into a friend," 


End file.
